In bid to ease tension, Lieberman extends term of envoy to Egypt

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman opted to extend the posting of Israel's ambassador to Cairo until August, in order to avoid any friction that might be caused by the appointment of a person close to the minister as Israel's envoy to Egypt.

A Foreign Ministry source said Sunday that the reason for the extension of Ambassador Shalom Cohen's posting is the wish to avoid any possible escalation in the already tense relationship between the foreign minister and Egypt, which perceives his attitude as hostile.

Cohen has served as Israel's ambassador to Egypt for four years, and several months ago former foreign minister Tzipi Livni extended his term because she was unhappy with the list of candidates to replace him.

At the time, Livni argued that she would like to appoint one of the Foreign Ministry's most senior diplomats to the post in order upgrade ties with Egypt, but the officials she approached as potential candidates turned her down.

Several months have passed and a senior ministry source says the list of candidates has not improved, and now there are serious contemplations of making a "political appointment." The candidate would have to be a person with clout and standing in Israel as well as someone close to Lieberman.

Such an appointment at this time would be problematic in view of the tensions that have emerged between Lieberman and his Egyptian counterpart, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, who has said on a number of occasions that he will refuse to shake Lieberman's hand.

Ministry officials fear that until the tension over Lieberman subsides in Egypt, Cairo will refuse to accept the credentials of a Lieberman political appointee as ambassador.

Meanwhile, preparations are ongoing for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Egypt, where he is scheduled to meet with President Hosni Mubarak at the Sinai resort of Sharm el-Sheik. The meeting will likely take place on May 11, with the prime minister paying a short visit in order to quickly return for the pope's visit to Israel that same day.